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Monday, August 04, 2008

Vietnamese food @ Restoran Ho Kee, Segambut, Kuala Lumpur

Vietnamese coffee mixed with kopitiam cup - the new fusion??

Sorry for the long absence but I have been fairly busy with work. However, I did manage to step out last weekend for some food exploring. When it comes to searching for new places to eat, I rely on various sources - blogs, tips from friends, the papers and food guides. The latest food guide, I picked up from the bookshop, is the Popular Food Guide. Covering places not in their previous year's edition, most of the places in it are quite familiar except this one - a Vietnamese place in Segambut.

gorgeous Vietnamese net rolls with the garlicky chili dip

Feeling adventurous, I decided to target this place. Just a short distance from the ever famous Yu Ai seafood noodles, this place is located within a converted house. A bit confusing, as the place indicated in the guidebook, was the old location as the restaurant must have recently moved across the road.

the not impressive pork trotter noodles

I guess this place must have made its mark on local television, as the owner had pictures of herself with Chui Ling, the lady who hosts that Chinese show that tells you how to spend RM50 for 3 or 5 meals in a day. When I saw those pictures, I was feeling a bit wary as I do remember trying one of the recommended food places from the show, and it didn't turn out great. The lack of service (even though they weren't so full) and the use of Indonesian maids to prepare the food didn't help qualm my fears about the quality of the food.

I decided to order the recommended dishes - pork trotter noodles, the Vietnamese deep fried rolls and the coffee. According to the guide, the pork trotter noodles were braised in old coconut juice and garlic. Served with kuey teow noodles, I didn't think the trotters were anything special - tasted just like ordinary trotters in soy sauce. What I did like, was the sambal they served it with, that kinda reminded me of sambal hae bee (dried shrimp sambal). That added a bit of oomph to the noodles.

I scored better with the Vietnamese rolls - deep fried and wrapped in a netting, these were delicate, filled with minced pork and great with the garlicky and chili dip. Together with aromatic Vietnamese coffee, I thought the food was only average tasting, and frankly, a bit pricy - RM3.50 for the Vietnamese coffee (not filled the brim even!), RM4.80 for the rolls and RM6.50 for the pork trotter noodles. Not sure if I ordered the wrong things, as when I was leaving the Indonesian lady told me of this delicious tasting crab noodles, she makes on special days. Maybe, I'll get to taste that one day but in the meantime, I think I'll stick to my favourite Vietnamese place in BB Plaza.

Restaurant Ho Kee

No. 2 Persiaran Segambut Tengah

Segambut

Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 012-6792 683

(Non halal. Open from 7am to 3pm. To get here, from the Segambut roundabout, take the first left and go straight until the first traffic light. Take the right turn and you will see Yu Ai seafood on your left hand side. Come to a junction and take the right turn. This will lead you to a housing estate. Ho Kee is opposite a car workshop, and at the corner house. Parking can be quite difficult as the roads are quite narrow, so park in the alley.)

*Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here is entirely based on my personal tastebuds and may vary for others. The reviewer also declares that she has not received any monetary or non-monetary compensation from the restaurant for writing this review.

oh, i have been eating here for a few good years already. those days, there were so much less patrons...yes, the meat roll is nice, especially with the garlicky dip. and the dried shrimp sambal was good, wasn't it! ;D